Be Fearless in the Pursuit of What Sets Your Soul on Fire

“Last Shot” mentality

Yesterday, my son was very disappointed in his performance. He’s a member of a grand- final-winning-team and has recently been selected to represent the city of Geelong in a state-wide soccer tournament. In spite of his immense talent, and many other amazing achievements on the soccer field, he allowed himself to become a victim of the “last shot” mentality. During yesterday’s match, a ball was crossed by one of his team mates. He was 3 metres from the goal and wide open. In spite of an open goal, he managed to miss the shot and put it over the crossbar. His team mates patted him on the back, but he couldn’t forgive himself.

It might seem like a small thing to many, but sport can often be a true reflection of what happens in life. How often don’t we judge ourselves, or others, on the last “shot at goal”. The last mistake you made, doesn’t define who you are. It doesn’t determine what you are capable of. It merely happens so that you can learn from it. If everything in life worked out perfectly for us, there wouldn’t be the need for improvement and for reflection. Our “mistakes” and “misses” in life prevent us from becoming arrogant. They don’t happen in order for us to become depressed about life. They happen so that we can be challenged and prepared. Our mistakes and misses should motivate us to work harder and prepare better for the next event – for the next shot we get. It shouldn’t scare us to try again – it should prompt us to make the next one count!

Maybe you made a bad financial decision, or your last words to someone were judgemental, or you messed up at work, or you aren’t living your purpose… Whatever your last move was that disappointed you… it doesn’t need to be the final result. The last thing you did, doesn’t need to become the final thing you do. Improve on it by making your next shot count. Don’t drop your head and allow that missed goal to negatively affect the rest of your shots. Let it motivate you to work harder and make the rest of the game, or the rest of your life, remarkable.

The best way to do that is to always remember that God is a God of second chances. To Him, it’s not all about your last mistake. It’s about your next move. See yourself the way God sees you and it will change the way you think.